As Hu Xu expected, the north wind blew and a heavy snow fell.
Xu Jiang was shivering with cold and hurried to a clothing store on the street to buy some winter clothes. Thinking that the day after tomorrow would be her appointment with Yuan Zuzhi, she also bought two copper stoves and several baskets of silver charcoal to keep warm.
The two were fiddling with the stove, wondering how to start a fire, when they heard inquiring voices coming from outside the door.
"Excuse me, is this Madam Xu's residence?"
Xu Jiang felt that the voice sounded familiar and hurried out to greet him.
"It's snowing now. I thought you wouldn't come." It turned out to be an old woman selling mushrooms. With her came an old man who looked like her husband.
"It's freezing cold, I'm sorry to bother you. Come in and sit down, have some hot tea, and don't catch a cold." Xu Jiang hurriedly invited the two in.
But the old woman looked at the neat and tidy bookstore and felt a little embarrassed. "I won't come in. My old man and I have mud all over our legs. We are afraid of dirtying your place."
"Stop bothering me. Isn't the door of my bookstore open for people to come in? Do you think everyone has clean feet?" Xu Jiang went forward to pull her, and Hu Xu also came out to invite the old man. The two of them dragged and persuaded the person and finally dragged him into the house.
Xu Jiang helped them unload the baskets on their backs, then went to the kitchen and poured them two bowls of ginger tea. "Hurry up and drink some hot water to get rid of the cold."
"No wonder my lady is doing big business. She is a kind-hearted person and will always have great blessings."
The woman drank and praised Xu Jiang until she was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"If you say a few more words, I will ascend to heaven and become a Bodhisattva."
After they had finished their tea, they opened the basket and handed the goods to Xu Jiang. Xu Jiang counted them and found a total of twenty-eight jars, so she paid for them.
He then instructed, "Aunt, next time if it snows, don't send it. You've come from the mountains, and the road is long and slippery. If you fall, it won't be worth it. If you have mushroom oil, store it. When the weather is nice, send it to me."
The woman accepted the money and said cheerfully, "Okay, okay. This money is enough for me and my husband to get through the winter. Once the snow starts, the mountains will be closed soon, and my husband and I won't dare go out again. The mushrooms are hiding in their holes this solar term and won't bloom until spring. I'll have to trouble you to wait a little longer."
"These are enough to eat, there's no rush."
After they finished their instructions, the two men were about to hurry back. Xu Jiang didn't want to keep them, so she filled a jar of ginger tea for each of them and asked them to take it with them on their journey.
The two men thanked him profusely and then hurried away in the wind and snow.
Xu Jiang leaned against the door and watched them walk away, thinking that life, busy coming and going, is nothing more than a mayfly dream, a piece of snow in the wind.
But the mayfly and the snow will not give up dreaming or traveling just because their lives are short.
Hu Xu called her from behind, "It's so cold, come inside quickly, the new stove is ready, come and try it out."
She turned around and smiled, "Right on."
After a long struggle, the two finally managed to light the stove. Xu Jiang left both doors open to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. In preparation for the book appreciation banquet the day after tomorrow, Xu Jiang prepared a list, selecting some ancient books, calligraphy, and paintings and placing them separately to make them easier to find.
Hu Xu flipped through the set of Dongling Selected Notes, then shook his head and put it aside. Seeing this, Xu Jiang asked, "Does Zhuchun dislike Donglingzi?"
Hu Xu said: "It's not that I don't like it, but I don't admire it as much as the scholars today."
Xu Jiang was surprised. "The current emperor admires Dong Lingzi so much that the imperial examinations in recent years have all been based on his theories. If you don't study Dong Lingzi, wouldn't that be disadvantageous to you in the exams?"
When the imperial examination was mentioned, Hu Xu fell silent. After a long while, he said, "To be honest, Master, I have failed the exam three times."
"Is it because of Dong Lingzi?"
"Exactly."
Xu Jiang sighed, then asked, "If you don't admire Dong Lingzi, who else do you admire?"
"Prince Wencheng."
"Prince Wencheng?" Xu Jiang widened his eyes and thought to himself, no wonder you failed the exam. Prince Wencheng's ideas are completely contrary to Dong Lingzi's. Now the sage uses Dong Lingzi's ideas to select talents. If you answer with Prince Wencheng's ideas, it would be strange if you can pass the exam.
Xu Jiang asked again: "Are you still going to take the exam?"
"...I don't know." Hu Xu felt discouraged by repeated failures.
"If you take the exam again, it will go against the ideas you advocate. If you don't take the exam, you won't be able to enter the officialdom and realize your ambitions. It's a dilemma, a dilemma."
When mentioning this matter, Hu Xu couldn't help but sigh.
Xu Jiang thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't you first learn from Dong Lingzi? Once you pass the imperial examination, you can then reiterate the idea of Prince Wencheng. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
"How can one person follow two masters?"
"Why not? Military strategists often say that knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle. To attack, you must know the enemy. Furthermore, any opposing doctrines complement each other. Only by observing each other can we correct their shortcomings and make up for their deficiencies."
"If you want to attack it, you must know it..." Hu Xu thought thoughtfully.
Having said that, Xu Jiang said bluntly: "Zhuchun, please forgive my offense. I see that you are very talented and diligent in learning, but there is only one thing that is not good."
"Which point?" Hu Xu asked humbly.
"You're often overly passionate and self-admiring," Xu Jiang advised earnestly. "Zhuchun, I personally believe you shouldn't restrict yourself too much, and certainly not think too highly of yourself. You see, most people in this world are mediocre and easily instigated. The Dongling School's doctrine, while somewhat rigid and dogmatic, is able to unify the masses and manage the core without disrupting their purpose. Thus, those in power establish their words to influence those below them, and those below them follow their instructions to obey their superiors. The profound meaning of this is beyond words."
Hearing these words, Hu Xu was like a revelation, instantly dispelling the depression that had been pent up in his chest for years. He took Xu Jiang's words to heart and bowed to thank her, saying, "Master, I appreciate your advice."
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